- Baiocasses
The people known to us by the Latinized name as Baiocasses (or "Baïocasses") were a tribe in ancient
Gaul .Early location and relationships
They were apparently a subtribe of the tribe Lexovii in the Roman province of
Gallia Lugdunensis , east of the Venelli and west of the Belgic tribe Veliocasses. Their territory was known as "Pagus Baiocensis", corresponding to the area inNormandy now known as "le Bessin". This is the location of the modern city ofBayeux , which takes its name from the tribe.Julius Caesar does not mention them in hisCommentarii de Bello Gallico ("ca."50 BC , but they would fall under his:"...qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur." "Those who are called Celts in their own language, but Gauls in ours." [C. Julius Caesar. "De Bello Gallico". [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/caesar/gall1.shtml Book I:1] ]
They are apparently the same as the group named "Bodiocasses" byPliny the Elder in his "Naturalis historia":"Lugdunensis Gallia habet...Viducasses, Bodiocasses, Venelli...." "The province of Gallia Lugdunensis has...the Viducasses, the Bodiocasses, the Venelli...." [C. Plinius Secundus. "Historia Naturae." [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/pliny.nh4.html Book IV:107] ]
Capital city
Their principal city was called by the Romans "Civitas Baiocassium" "City of the Baiocasses"; later it was given the Latin name "Augustodorum". By Merovingian times the city was being called "Baiocas". In the time of
William the Conqueror the name was already written "Bayeaux".Name
It appears that the final <-x> in "Bayeaux" was pronounced [-k(a)s] . Whether this is an evolution, or a regression to an earlier, more nearly native name is, unclear. The Latin name takes the form of a third-declension I-stem noun formed on * [bajokas] ; the adjective being "Baiocensis". Noting the intrusive [-d-] in the form cited by Pliny, the original form of name of the tribe may be assumed to have been "* [badjoc-as] " or something similar.
Coinage
The Baiocasses of the
1st century BC minted base gold, silver and billon (base silver) coins in the denomination of onestater and in the case of gold coins sometimes quarter staters. Most of the coin show a very Celtic style male head on the obverse, and horse with chariot rider above or behind and usually either alyre or small boar below, on the reverse. A number of these have been preserved. [ [http://www.cgb.fr/monnaies/vso/v15/fr/monnaiesfe8f.html?depart=787&nbfic=1515 BAIOCASSES - BAIOCASSES - (Région de BAYEUX) - (Ier siècle avant J.-C.) - Statère d'argent fourré - c. 60-50 AC. - VSO 15 ] ]References
Bibliography
*Smith, William, ed. 1854. "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, illustrated by numerous engravings on wood". London: Walton and Maberly (13.04)
*Hazlit, William. 1851. "The Classical Gazetteer". [http://www.ancientlibrary.com/gazetteer/0068.html Online verson at AncientLibrary.com]See also
*
Gaul
*List of peoples of Gaul
*List of Celtic tribes
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